Poppy Fields & Stars
by ProudDyspraxicWriter
Summary: Dr. Archie Hopper's morals and professional ethics are put to the test when one of his teenage patients reveals that she's in love with him. Will he set the record straight and do the right thing? Or won't he? Archie/OC.


**I wanted to write about OUAT, started listening to Owl City and just wrote this right off the cuff at 4am. According to my nan, I had writer's diarrhoea instead of writer's block XD**

Poppy Fields & Stars

As bitter hailstones rained down outside like the sword of Damocles, Dr. Hopper's office might as well have been an idyllic oasis of warmth in an endless tundra. The fire in the fireplace was a bellydancer, moving her body so elaborately that the flames she controlled seemed to flow into the veins of the person who warmed themselves there, setting the very essence of their soul alight with a sense of hope. The dark colour scheme, too, seemed to emit warmth. The bookcase held many books on just about every subject on the human mind, and it made the psychiatrist seem so much more human. Because he wasn't a fairy godmother with a magic wand to make people's problems disappear. He was just another guy in this world. He wasn't perfect; he had made mistakes in the past. But he had a good heart, and a conscientious way of looking at the world. And for his patients, that was enough. They would all feel welcome in this place, regardless of what state their mental health was in. But for one young woman, she thought, maybe it wasn't enough after all.

She couldn't remember exactly when these feelings started. It could have been love at first sight. She loved everything about her therapist. To the last detail. He had those squinty blue eyes that were always hidden behind the geekiest glasses in existence. It was the first thing that she had complimented him on when they first began their sessions. And his hair! The colour of those light ginger curls drove her crazy. All she ever wanted was to run her fingers through it in the middle of the night. Perhaps she should ask him about his choice of shampoo someday. But the thing she loved most about Dr. Hopper was the way he was gentle with her. He never spoke in a tone that sounded stern or sharp. He always talked in a soft, low hum, which would cause her to lean in just to hear the words that were meant for only her. And it was the way he smiled at her, too, with those welcoming lips. She would never tell Dr. Hopper about these feelings, but now, as the hailstones pattered down on the windowsill, her heart couldn't take it anymore.

" So you feel that no one appreciates you," Hopper recalled. He tapped his pen against his mouth as he focused on his patient. " What makes you think that? Describe your family's behaviour towards you. Tell me about it."

_You appreciate me._

" Francesca? If you could…?"

Francesca blinked. " Oh, sorry."

" It's OK. Take your time," he answered, smiling.

Francesca leant back in her seat, her curious brown eyes cast skyward as she thought about the question. " My aunt and uncle…They don't listen to me. They won't let me get a job or move out. I'm this close to graduating high school and all the other girls are talking about moving out. It's not fair! And that's just the stuff they say about me," she ranted with sorrow and anger. She heaved a morose sigh.

" What else do they say?"

Francesca's gazed slid down to the fluffy-haired terrier that was curled up, snoring by the fire. " Terry. Aunt Maud is always accusing me of letting him run loose in the neighbourhood. It only happened once, I swear!"

Dr. Hopper frowned in thought for a second. " Wasn't Mayor Mills injured in this particular incident?" he asked with just a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Ashamed, the teenage Kansas girl averted her eyes. She had disappointed him. That was the worst feeling in the world. She then let out a sigh. " Terry's really gentle with people he likes! There's just something about Mayor Mills that rubs him the wrong way. So he attacked. And now, Aunt Maud is threatening to take him to the animal shelter. He's all I have of Kansas, Dr. Hopper! I can't…! I can't lose him!" she cried, her voice shaky with despair.

As his patient began to weep, Dr. Hopper was quick to offer his box of Kleenex. He sat beside her on the sofa and he wrapped an arm around her to comfort her. He swallowed down a lump in his throat. He was reminded of his own four-legged companion, Pongo. If someone told him that he wasn't allowed to keep him anymore, he would be as distraught as this poor girl. " Aww, Fran. Don't worry about that just yet. He's safe with us in this room. No one will take him as long as he's in here. OK?" he told her calmly.

Francesca paused to sniff. She wiped her eyes with a tissue, and as she let herself bask in the warmth of his gaze, she actually began to feel loved. Her heart was racing, and it meant that this was the perfect moment to reveal her secret. She opened her mouth, drew a breath and flicked back her chestnut tresses in order to prepare herself. A thunderclap exploded in the sky. Both Dr. Hopper and Francesca leapt out of their skins with fright, and even little Terry gave a jolt.

" What the hell?!" muttered Hopper. He went to the window to take a peek at the weather outside. He gasped. The hailstones had melted into rain, and the wind was starting to pick up as a storm approached. " It's really coming down. Are you sure you'll be all right to get home?" he asked worriedly.

_He might offer me a ride. If he does..._

" Gosh, I don't know. Terry is really afraid of thunder. It'll take a miracle to get him out the door," she said in a sly tone, which Hopper seemed to miss.

As Terry jumped up into his master's lap and whimpered a little with fear, the psychiatrist took another look.

" You know, it's really bad out there," he said. He spotted a woman with an umbrella run across the road to her car, trying to escape the storm. Hopper raised his eyebrows in worry. " I'd better take you home before it gets worse," he decided. He grabbed his coat off his chair and headed towards the door. He picked up his umbrella from the stand just by the door. " You coming?" he said, not realising that Francesca had been doing a victory dance in her head for the past few seconds.

She let out a muted squeak, briskly pushing the dog off of her. " C'mon, Terry!" she cried, rushing to join her therapist. The terrier's stumpy little legs scurried along behind as he panted excitedly.

Being the gentleman that he was, Archie opened the door for his lady companion, but he frowned. " You don't have a coat?" he asked.

The young girl shrugged. " I guess I must've forgotten it." She stared dreamily at him, her heart still pounding as hard as the pouring rain.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. " Here, have mine," he sighed. Quick as a flash, he whipped it off and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders.

The way he had clasped his arm around her as he sheltered himself from the storm with nothing more than the palm of his hand while Terry carelessly nipped at their ankles. The short journey to Dr. Hopper's car might as well have been a dream because Francesca could not remember a thing about it. Because the cosy and comfortable scent of Dr. Hopper's coat had enchanted her. She brought the sleeve to her nose and the aroma of men's cologne struck her hard in the head, which assured her she would never be able to give Hopper up now.

" Come on, come on, come on!" he muttered over the roar of the wind and rain. He clumsily pulled the passenger's door open for her as he fought against the weather to get to the driver's side.

The teenage girl gestured for her faithful dog to get in first and she gave him a forceful shove into the backseat, while she slid inside, bursting with excitement. She had always wanted to see Hopper's car from the inside. Terry vigorously shook all the water out of his fur, splattering the upholstery. " Oh! Terry!" Francesca snarled.

Dr. Hopper sat in the driver's seat, fastening his seatbelt in the process. " What happened?"

" Terry's just got water everywhere! I am very sorry, Dr. Hopper," she replied sheepishly, shooting her dog an annoyed glare.

Dr. Hopper smiled and even chuckled a little. " That's quite all right. Pongo does it all the time."

The girl did her best to make her laugh sound convincing.

" All right, let's get you home, missy." He grinned and then he started the ignition. Or at least he tried, and failed. He turned the key again forcefully, but the engine kept insisting on making a very unhealthy sound indeed. Archie grumbled, desperate to get it to work. " _Come on!_" he exclaimed. " God…"

" Why isn't it working?" asked Francesca. She was genuinely worried about the car's condition. If Dr. Hopper didn't have a working car, he wouldn't be able to come into the office and that meant she wouldn't be able to see him.

_Please make his car work._

He heaved a deep sigh. " I don't know." He paused for a second. The only light for miles around caught his eye. Granny's was still open. " OK, let's stay in Granny's for a little while until the storm lets up. You can call your uncle and aunt to let them know where you are and then we'll just…make it up as we go along," he suggested. " How does that sound?"

A wide, toothy grin spread across her freckled face. " Could I have a cocoa?"

Archie considered it. " You know what? I think I'll join you."

" Great!" Now _that _would be the perfect moment to tell him. " Let's go, Terry!"

In the dim light of the evening, as the three figures ran across the road to the café, they appeared to be the ghosts of their former beings, still lingering around like a lost song, longing to be heard once again. Ruby was standing behind the counter when they reached their destination. The place was practically deserted. Both Dr. Hopper and Francesca shivered violently as Terry shook his body again.

" Uh, excuse me! I've just cleaned that floor!" Ruby called and she rolled her eyes.

" I'm sorry, Ruby. We didn't want to leave him in the rain all on his own," the psychiatrist explained, removing his soaked sweater vest. " Is it OK if he stays in here with us? He won't be any trouble; we'll make sure of that." He shot Francesca a wink.

Ruby's unimpressed gaze slipped down to the dog's height. She stopped to take a look at his little face. He had the biggest brown eyes she'd ever seen and she couldn't help but find the way he was wagging his fluffy tail adorable. " It's a good thing that Granny isn't here. He can stay in here for only a little while," she told them firmly.

" Thank you!" breathed Francesca with relief. Even Terry acted relieved. He gave a friendly yap and started to jump up to Ruby's cheek to lick her.

The doctor and his patient went to sit at the nearest station, where they sat at opposite ends of the table, facing each other. Intrigued, Ruby approached them.

" Who's this?" she asked cheerfully.

" Francesca Burke," answered Hopper, sneaking her a mischievous smile. " She's just moved here from Kansas."

" Farm girl, are you?" asked Ruby. The younger girl shrugged shyly. " I don't envy you," she added, the sarcasm seeping through in her voice. " So, what will it be?"

" Two steaming hot cocoas, please," Archie replied enthusiastically.

" With whipped cream and marshmallows?" the black-and-red-haired waitress offered with a grin.

At the mention of marshmallows, Francesca nodded her head.

" OK! And would the little guy like a bowl of water?"

" Yeah, I think he'd appreciate that, thanks."

Ruby wandered away to make the orders and the psychiatrist could focus all of his attention on his patient.

" Great session, huh?" he mumbled. He had apparently picked up Ruby's sarcasm.

The Kansas teenager stammered shyly. " W-well, it's a good opportunity to get to know one another…o-outside of our sessions. Don't you think?"

Dr. Hopper frowned and then he beamed. " You know, you're right. Good thinking!" he said. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, which made him look a bit goofy. " So, how do you like Storybrooke?"

Francesca leant back in her chair. " I hate it; I wanna go back home to Kansas," she muttered with disdain.

" You miss your parents?"

When that poisonous word coiled out of that man's mouth, tears immediately began to form in those pretty brown eyes. She knew that she had caused their deaths, she didn't need reminding. Francesca lowered her head, so he couldn't see her tears fall. " Save the therapy for our sessions," she mumbled.

" OK," he whispered in understanding. He stretched an arm across the table to give her shoulder a supportive squeeze.

The psychiatrist was left speechless until Ruby returned with two hot mugs of the sweet and sugary concoction. She smiled politely as she set them down on the table, pushing them towards each end. Then she went down on her knees to place a dish of water in front of the little terrier, who started lapping hungrily at it, splashing water everywhere. She smiled again as she teetered away in her blood-red leather boots. Archie looked after her for a couple of seconds, making his patient wonder.

_Does he like her? God, I hate her!_

He then began to take a few sips from his mug, forgetting that it had been topped with whipped cream. " We'll discuss that later," he said.

Francesca's eyes widened and then she screamed with hysterical laughter. " Dr. Hopper!" she squealed.

" What?"

" You've got a moustache!" she giggled, putting a hand to her mouth.

Dr. Hopper's eyebrows furrowed before he realised what she meant. " Oh!" He blushed violently, growing as red as a tomato. He wiped his upper lip with his napkin.

" You're so silly! But you're an awesome therapist," she went on to admit somewhat dreamily.

" Why, thank you, sweetie!" he replied, blushing again.

" It's what I love about you. You're so real."

The girl beamed, showing all her teeth, and she gulped her cocoa, which filled her with warmth like her darling Archie always did. But he wasn't so sure about that previous comment.

" We should hang out more often. We could walk our dogs together. Maybe?" she added uncertainly when she saw that Dr. Hopper wasn't listening. He was staring into space, now just having realised her real intentions. " Archie?"

He sighed heavily. " Look, I'm not real. OK? I'm forty five years old; you're seventeen. You're still a kid. And you're my patient. It wouldn't be right."

Francesca really did listen, but she didn't like what she heard. A sick feeling began to arise in her stomach. Her hands trembled. " But you've been so nice to me. You're the only person in Storybrooke who's ever been nice to me!" she protested.

" I'm a psychiatrist. It's my job to be nice. You're just experiencing something called 'transference'. What you're feeling…What you think is real…It really isn't."

" So I'm crazy?! Is that what you're saying?!" she snapped.

Hopper shook his head softly. He held her hand tightly, caressing it tenderly. Even though she was mad at him, she would always find comfort in him. " You're not crazy, Fran. You're a teenager. You're still growing up. I'm here to help you. I'll always support you, no matter what," he whispered and smiled softly.

But still, Francesca couldn't take it. " Then why won't you support me on this? You're the only person who makes my life worth living here. I love you. Please!" she tearfully begged.

" No, I'm sorry, Fran. It just…wouldn't be the right thing to do."

Dr. Hopper lowered his head, his chest puffed out as he heaved a sigh. He didn't even try to stop Francesca when she gave a disgusted grunt and dashed out of the café into the rain with her faithful dog at her heels. A simple onlooker, Ruby let out a gasp, eager to keep watching this drama that was occurring right before her eyes. Archie watched the waitress, feeling utterly hopeless.

" You gonna go after her? Are you a man or a mouse?"

The bespectacled doctor scoffed. He was neither. He was nothing but a little cricket, getting stepped on by an endless crowd. Ruby clucked her tongue and shook her head in dismay. And that, for some reason, made him want to soldier on. So, despite the fact that he was terrified, he chased after her, grabbing his coat and umbrella off the chair.

She was just at the other end of the street, shuddering in the cold, when Hopper caught her.

" Francesca, wait!" he hollered.

With his umbrella sheltering him, he trotted closer, his coat in his free hand. As Francesca watched him, with the raindrops dripping off his nose and the frames of his glasses, she felt her heart quiver with sadness. They met at last.

" Francesca."

The sound of her own name was torture to her ears when it was coming from the love of her life. She didn't say anything. She just looked up to his height with wide, sorrowful eyes.

" I'm sorry, darling. You're not in a good place right now; you need something solid, but…I can't be that person to give it to you."

" Why can't you?" she riddled.

Archie shrugged and smiled sadly. " You're just not ready. But until then, hold on to this." He handed her his coat. " One day, when you are, give it back to me. Promise?"

He grinned and she gasped as if she had just been given a magnificent gift. She trembled as she snatched the tatty old piece of clothing from his hand. And they embraced. Archie rested his chin on the crown of the girl's head, running his fingers up and down her spine. Francesca closed her eyes and she shivered, entranced by his gentle touch. Her heart fluttered, and Dr. Hopper's heart, too, fluttered in perfect harmony. All they needed to do now was wait. Days, weeks, months, years; who knew? Who cared?

**See if you can guess the inspirations for the names ^_^**


End file.
